By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) The Jefferson Performing Arts Society brought out an oldie, but a goodie this past week when it opened the Roger Bean standby The Marvelous Wonderettes, a four-woman mashup of late 1950s and early 1960s pop classics. Directed and choreographed by Jonathan Drury, this cast has some amazing […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) While ruminating about the current production of A Streetcar Named Desire playing at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré, there was the thought of a scene in the hilarious fake rock biopic “This Is Spinal Tap” that sprang to mind. In describing an amplifier’s output, Christopher Guest’s […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) When Robert Harling first created the six Chinquapin, Louisiana leading ladies who hang at Truvy’s salon, America was still living through the Reagan years. Steel Magnolias was Harling’s reference to the nature of the ladies, who, season after season, stand firm and tall like trees, dealing with the […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) Three years ago the National World War II Museum’s entertainment staff decided to move away from the standard fare they offered, which was mostlyWorld War II-centric material. While the mission of the museum is to recall the triumph of the “Greatest Generation,” it makes sense to market […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out”) Perhaps the darkest of the Disney animated films, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was the last of the film series known as the Disney Renaissance that began with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 1998. Like earlier projects by Menken and his celebrated lyricist partner Howard Ashman (“The […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) There is a point midway during the current production of Million Dollar Quartet at Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts when the major singing members of the cast join their voices together in the gospel favorite “Down By the Riverside” with only a simple guitar accompaniment. The melding […]
By ALAN SMASON, Theatre Critic, WYES-TV (“Steppin’ Out“) There are many Jane Austen fans who can recite chapter and verse as to what motivated the many characters from “Pride and Prejudice” at any particular juncture. It would seem that playwrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon are among her diehard fans too because their recent sequel […]
By AARON KRAUSE WEST PALM BEACH — Characters down alcohol with an equilibrium-upsetting frequency in Billy and Me, a new, engrossing, thought-provoking memory play receiving its world premiere production at Palm Beach Dramaworks through the end of the year. One of the principle characters is, surprise, surprise, Tennessee Williams. The late, great playwright was known as […]
By AARON KRAUSE WILTON MANORS, Fla. — The curtain opens, revealing a cheery, brightly-colored home sporting Christmas decorations. Soon, a woman of 55, but who could pass for 20 years younger, enters. She betrays an equally cheery, almost child-like disposition. She is full of energy. The woman’s husband is clad in clown make-up. If you […]
By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“) Composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown has won multiple Tony Awards for his brilliant compositions and, most especially, for his tender ballads. First noted for his 1995 production of Songs for a New World, Brown later received critical acclaim for Parade, which told the story of convicted […]